Special event venues and restaurants with party spaces are swamped with holiday bookings sales at levels they haven’t seen since the pre-recession days of the mid-2000s, say Middle Tennessee event planners, caterers and local restaurant owners.

You may have known it as Pub of Love, Lot 7, or most recently Mai, but the latest use of the space at the corner of 12th and Grundy is more than just an old building with a new name. It is a revamped music and events venue, rehabbed with a new floor plan, new entrance and new vision.

Christopher and Brenda Newton, longtime Sumner County caterers, were expecting solid business when they opened EPIC Event Centre in Gallatin last year. The culinary couple knew from experience that Sumner County lacked spaces for large parties and events.

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EVENTS

20th annual Education Report Card. For two decades, the Nashville Area Chamber has annually convened a diverse group of business and community representatives to evaluate the progress of Nashville’s public school system. Each year, the committee examines academic performance data from the previous school year and prepares a written report presenting findings and recommendations for improvement. This year’s report also will also take an in-depth look at the future role of charter schools. Guests include Mayor Karl Dean, Metro Schools director Dr. Jesse Register, Board of Education chair Cheryl Mayes and Education Report Card Committee co-chairs Ron Corbin and Todd Vandawater. Monday, 10 a.m., Adventure Science Center, 800 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville. Information: nashvillechamber.com, 743-3063.

It’s mid-December and the holiday madness is in full swing. Despite a full calendar of plans with family and friends — or maybe because of it — the lure of a carefree couple of days out of town is just too good to resist.

Nashville is at the center of a trend, and it doesn’t have anything to do with music, television or, sadly, pro football. Music City’s food is suddenly a shining star, and seemingly everyone has noticed.

Author, motivational speaker and consummate salesman Zig Ziglar died in late November at the age of 86. Heralding from Yazoo City, Miss., Ziglar impacted the lives of salespeople worldwide. His influence was undeniable and his legacy, long lasting. This compilation of “Zigisms” is in celebration of his life’s work. May they bring you inspiration.

Beneath the “fiscal cliff” debate is a fundamental battle of philosophy. Liberal economics prioritizes equality, while conservative economics prioritizes efficiency. Migration toward either of these polls contains costs and benefits. Below is an excerpt from a tax study of developed nations commissioned by the Paris based OECD:

There are those who continually improve their knowledge and skills and have accumulated 30 years experience. And then there are those who simply repeat their initial year of experience 30 times, learning very little along the way.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Dennis O'Brien rubs his head as he details ailments triggered by the fungal meningitis he developed after a series of steroid shots in his neck: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision, exhaustion and trouble with his speech and attention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — While the "fiscal cliff" of looming tax increases and spending cuts dominates political conversation in Washington, some Republicans and business groups see signs of a "regulatory cliff" that they say could be just as damaging to the economy.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A majority of Tennesseans - including nearly three-quarters of those identifying themselves as Republicans - prefer a state-run health insurance exchange over one run by the federal government, according to a poll released by Vanderbilt University on Wednesday.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis wants to become the first major city to replace its entire fleet with electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in a move the mayor says is designed to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign-produced fuels, city officials said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is already being hurt by the "fiscal cliff" standoff in Washington, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday. But Bernanke said the Fed believes the crisis will be resolved without significant long-term damage.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve sent its clearest signal to date Wednesday that it will keep interest rates super-low to boost the U.S. economy even after the job market has improved significantly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A survey of U.S. chief executives shows the number of large companies that plan to add jobs or hire more workers is essentially unchanged versus three months ago, although fewer expect hiring to decrease.

VIENNA (AP) — OPEC oil ministers signaled Wednesday that they have agreed to stick to present output targets while remaining undecided on who should fill a senior post coveted both by Saudi Arabia and arch-rival Iran.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In a dizzyingly short time span, Republicans have converted Michigan from a seemingly impregnable fortress of organized labor into a right-to-work state, leaving outgunned Democrats and union activists with little recourse but to shake their fists and seek retribution at the ballot box.

NEW YORK (AP) — Avon Products plans to cut about 1,500 jobs and exit two Asian markets, as the struggling beauty products seller starts on a broad restructuring plan in an effort to turn around results.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Playing both sides, President Barack Obama is trying to balance his public pressure campaign on Republicans over the looming "fiscal cliff" with his private negotiations with GOP leaders.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress and the White House are struggling to avoid the "fiscal cliff," the package of huge tax increases and spending cuts that kick in next year unless a budget agreement is reached first.

NASHVILLE (AP) - Buddy Miller says these days it's not unusual for duet partners to cut their love songs syllable by syllable while never even seeing each other: "In this town especially that's what happens."

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose for a fifth straight day Tuesday as investors latched on to reports of progress in budget talks in Washington. The Standard & Poor's 500 index had its biggest gain this month.

VIENNA (AP) — Tough decisions await OPEC oil ministers sitting down this week for a policy meeting. The 12-nation cartel has to deal not only with how much crude to produce for the next few months but must also fill a senior position coveted both by Saudi Arabia and archrival Iran.

NEW YORK (AP) — British bank HSBC has agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a New York based-probe in connection with the laundering of money from narcotics traffickers in Mexico, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Tuesday that it has sold all of its remaining shares of American International Group Inc., moving to wrap up the government's biggest bailout of the 2008 financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says President Barack Obama is slow-walking talks to avoid the fiscal cliff, and hasn't outlined spending cuts he's willing to support as part of a compromise.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberal Democratic members of Congress are warning President Barack Obama to not cut the Medicaid health care program as part of negotiations with Republicans over avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A year-end deadline approaching, quiet negotiations to avoid an economy-rattling "fiscal cliff" yielded no tangible signs of progress on Monday as Republicans pressed President Barack Obama to volunteer spending cuts he will support while the White House insisted the GOP endorse higher tax rates on upper incomes.

HOOKSET, N.H. (AP) — Fear and frustration course through the lunch crowd at Robie's Country Store and Deli, a popular outpost 500 miles from where Washington is again locked in tense negotiations over taxes and spending as a critical deadline looms.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday that Tennessee will not create a state-run health insurance exchange, but the Republican governor said he remains undecided about whether to expand Medicaid.

NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority's board voted Monday to delegate certain authority to the utility's new chief executive in case five of its vacancies aren't filled before Congress adjourns this month.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged higher Monday on Wall Street after a strong sales report from McDonald's offset concerns about the surprise resignation of Italy's prime minister. Investors also waited for developments in crucial U.S. budget talks.

NEW YORK (AP) — Benchmark U.S. crude gave up some early gains Monday on a surprise expansion of German exports and signs of increased oil consumption in China to finish lower. Concerns about the so-called fiscal cliff in the U.S. continued to dog traders and investors.

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple and Google, bitter rivals in smartphone technology, have joined up to make a combined bid for a bundle of patents offered by photography pioneer Kodak, according to a published report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress and the White House can significantly soften the initial impact of the "fiscal cliff" even if they fail to reach a compromise by Dec. 31. One thing they cannot control, however, is the financial markets' reaction, which possibly could be a panicky sell-off that triggers economic reversals worldwide.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met at the White House to discuss the "fiscal cliff," while rank-and-file Republicans stepped forward with what they called pragmatic ideas to break the stalemate.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam says that while the crime rate is showing an overall decline in Tennessee, instances of aggravated assault, prescription drug abuse and domestic violence remain a major concern for his administration.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee health officials are once again alerting patients who received tainted steroid shots after finding that some have infections at the injection site that could lead to fungal meningitis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian trade and human rights bill cleared Congress and headed for President Barack Obama's signature Thursday, opening up new export opportunities for American businesses but antagonizing relations with Russia over its treatment of dissidents.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the fiscal cliff wars, a pivotal battle is raging between Democrats demanding to raise revenue by boosting tax rates on the nation's highest earners and Republicans insisting on eliminating deductions and other tax breaks instead. Which is better for the economy? Analysts say it depends.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The political fight that took the nation to the verge of defaulting on its debts last year is back, overshadowed by "fiscal cliff" disputes but with consequences far graver than looming tax hikes and steep spending cuts.